This invention relates to a novel process for manufacturing hydroquinone derivatives as intermediates in manufacturing d-.alpha.-tocopherol (natural vitamin E). The invention also relates to the novel starting materials and intermediates in this process.
Several of the known processes for manufacturing natural vitamin E are of limited interest to industry. Natural vitamin E has been prepared through extraction from natural sources. Since the tocopherol content of these natural sources is small, large amounts of the natural source must be processed to yield small amounts of the natural tocopherol. Additionally the processes are cumbersome.
There exists a need for an industrial process for producing natural vitamin E in good yield and with high optical purity. The present invention provides such a process.